Stacy: The New Dog on the Block
by Fan Boy 101
Summary: A stray she-dog has been rescued and brought to Babylon Gardens. All the canines get attracted to her and want to get close to her. But she has strong feelings on a certain someone who isn't canine. Or feline for that matter. It's her human owner!
1. The Chicken Thief

**Stacy: The New Dog on the Block**

**Author's Note: Hey there. Thanks for checking this fanfic out. Now before you get to reading it, I'd like to point out some things about this chapter. First off, it's a human x animal fanfic – meaning that there will be lemon and some other things in future chapters; so if this isn't your liking, I strongly suggest that you press the back button now. Second, the story will focus on my OCs more than the characters from Housepets. But they'll be around as supporting characters or, sometimes, the main characters in certain chapters. And third, some of locations in Babylon Gardens will be from my own imagination. Any locations (and characters' names for that matter) that are mentioned in Rick Griffin's ongoing comic are the same as mine is pure coincidental.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Housepets. It is the copyright of Rick Griffin. Only my OC characters are copyright to me, and will not be used without my permission. I also don't own any real-life company names, products, etc mentioned in this fanfic.**

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Brian Edwards was riding his bicycle on a clear, sunny afternoon in Babylon Gardens. The sixteen-year-old high school student was riding to nowhere in particular. He just needed to get out of his house. His family was driving him crazy!

Brian's mother, Joan, talked nothing but the latest dirt and gossip she had heard from her friends; his father, Frank, talked of nothing but sports, automobiles, and sexy women with (as his dad referred them to as) "fine racks"; his older sister, Janet, was always hanging out with her boyfriend Travis, and hardly so much as say a word to Brian; and his little brother, Ian, every though they get along well, had a bad habit of playing the "what if" game: Ian would come up with most craziest, most annoying questions like, "What if our neighbors are actually aliens trying to probe all of us?" and the list would just go on from there.

So, getting fed up with hearing all that crap, and staying inside of his room with nothing to do and no one to talk to, Brian just grabbed his iPod, grabbed his bicycle out from inside the garage, and then took off.

While listening to his favorite song "Broken" by Lifehouse, Brian rode his to the bicycle route. Brian always loved going there. Next to the park (not literally), the bicycle route was always filled with people riding their bikes or walking their pets, which Brian was most interested in. He enjoyed seeing the cats or dogs or sometimes other animals walking with their owners while they were having good conversations with eachother or, for the most part, the pets were walking and chatting with their fellow animals. Sometimes when they spotted Brian, both owner and pet would wave and say hi to him, and he'd do the same in return.

Brian always wanted a pet of his own. For as long as he could remember, Brian had asked his parents countless times if he could get a pet, and the answer was always the same, "We'll see" but in actuality, "No! Never!".

Brian traveled eastward on the bike route. He rode on for about twenty minutes, eyeing almost every cat and dog he saw. At the crossing path, Brian stopped at the drinking fountain. He then got off his bike, took off his headphones, and walked to the fountain for a quick drink. After satisfying his thirst, the lone human took the time to look at his surroundings: there was no sign of human walkers, bicyclists, or any animals roaming the route. From all that riding, Brian decided to a break, and went and sat on the bench that was right next to the drinking fountain.

Brian let out a heavy sigh.

"Man, it feels good to be out and about," He said, removing the heavy sweat off his forehead with the back of his right hand. "I feel like I'm living in a mental asylum. It's crazy I'm related to those people. If I didn't have any resemblance to my folks, I'd say they've kidnapped me from my real, normal family, because there's no way Frank and Joan were qualified to adopt me."

He chuckled at himself. Anyone who had heard that joke would've found it corny, but since Brian was alone, the only person he'd have worry about cheering up was himself. …But that was the problem…

"I'm tired of being on my own all the time," Brian said in annoyance. "I just wish I could have someone to talk to. It doesn't matter to me if their human or animal; any of them is good. I just…for once…want someone who I can truly call a best friend!"

Just then, as if right on cue, a black and white dog was running west of the bike route in panic with something in its mouth. While Brian was about to depart and take off on his bike again, the black and white dog ran around him and hid behind his back. It took Brian a few seconds to realize what had just happened.

"Wha…?"

"Please!" said the black and white dog in fear. "He's after me! Don't let him get me! Please help me!"

"Don't let who get you?" Brian asked, puzzled.

"_Him!_"

The black and white dog pointed its furry index finger at heavyset bald man wearing some sort of chief outfit that made Brian guess that the man worked at a restaurant. The man was huffing and puffing as he got close to Brian and the mysterious, frightened dog.

"I-I…g-got…y-you…now!" shouted the man as he tried to regain his breath. "Don't even think I don't see you behind that young man! No one outruns the great Gregory Plucker!"

Brian raised an eyebrow.

_Is this guy for real_? He thought.

"Uh…is something wrong, sir?" He asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is!" said the man named Gregory, angrily. "That _beast_ hiding behind you is a thief! It stole one of my well cooked chickens right under my very nose!"

Brian looked back at the black and white dog and could see a chicken in its mouth, clear as day.

"If this animal isn't in your care, I demand that you step aside so I could take it to the proper authorities!" Gregory Plucker ordered.

Again Brian looked back at the black and white dog, who was cowardly lowering its body onto the ground. Its green eyes were showing fear and begging for mercy to the young man. Brian didn't know what possessed him to do this, but he said, "Actually, Mr. Plucker is it? This is _my_ dog."

"You're dog?" Mr. Plucker asked.

"Yes. He –"

"_She!_" the black and white dog corrected in a low whisper.

"– _She _had run away from home. I've spent hours looking for her on my bike. I just happened to be reunited with her when you came running toward us. I'm sorry to hear that she stole from you, Mr. Plucker. She's actually a good dog. It's just when she gets hungry she gets into trouble. In fact, that's why she ran away in the first place. I forgot to feed her. That was stupid on my part."

Mr. Plucker eyed Brian suspiciously and then at the chicken thief.

"If you really are the animal's owner, then where's her collar?" He asked. "And where's your proof that you actually own this filthy mutt?"

Brian was starting to like this guy less and less. Despite the circumstance, isn't it rude to call a dog "mutt" in front of its "owner".

"…W-well, I was in such a hurry to find my dog that forgot to bring my papers with me," He lied. "I know that was irresponsible for me, but I just had to go find her. I'm sorry for all the trouble she's caused. Here, how about I pay for the chicken she stole, and put this all behind us; what do you say?"

Mr. Plucker thought this one through. Then finally...

"Very well; if you insist – that would be fifty dollars for the chicken."

Bran nearly jumped out of his skin by that outrages price. That's thievery right there, he thought. But with no other choice, Brian pulled out his wallet, and handed Mr. Plucker the cash.

_Goodbye _Red Dead Revolution, He thought. _Now I have to wait till next week's paycheck to get the game._

Mr. Plucker counted the money before stuffing it into his pocket.

"Now before we depart, young man," He warned Brian. "Let me give you some advice concerning that mangy mutt of yours: keep that dog on a chocker and leash at all times. And if that mutt just so happens to set foot in my restaurant again, you could rest assure that you'd find it in the pound if you're looking for it. Well, good day."

And with that, Mr. Plucker turned and walked off in a "gentlemen" manner. Brian was desperately fighting the urge to shout out, "up yours" to the old fart, but decided against it. He then looked down at the black and white dog, who then started sticking out her tongue at Mr. Plucker's direction.

Brian cleared his throat. The stray got his attention and looked at him with worry.

"I think you should consider yourself lucky," Brian said. "If I wasn't here, or didn't have the money to pay for your 'lunch', you wouldn't be eating any chicken for _long_ time."

The stray dog stood up and then embraced her savoir.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she said. "I thought I was done for! I am now in your debt."

"…W-well, it was nothing, really," Brian said, startled by the hug. "Just try not to get into trouble again."

"Oh, I promise, I'll try," said the stray dog, letting go of Kris. "In the meantime though, I wanna finish eating. Wanna join me?"

"Um…sure," Brian replied. "We could sit here."

There was a bench located next to the drinking fountain, which both human and dog went and sat down at. Brian watched the dog quietly as she happily ate the rest of the chicken. She was wolfing it down as though she really was a wolf. The dog soon noticed Brian was staring at her.

"What?" She asked. "You want a piece?"

"Oh, no thank you," Brian replied. "I'm just waiting for to finish."

"Oh, come on, have a bite," the dog begged, putting a drumstick in front of his face. "I owe you, after all.

Sighing in defeat, Brian grabbed the drumstick.

"This wasn't in your mouth, was it?" He said. "I don't usually share food with a stranger."

"Don't worry; that drumstick's clean," the dog assured Brian. "And I promise I don't have any cooties on me – scout's honor."

Brian chuckled, and then began to take a bite at the drumstick. For some reason he felt that he could trust the black and white dog; and since he paid fifty bucks for it, why not? He was just grateful no one was there, for they would've thought he was crazy.

"You like it?" the dog asked.

"It's good," Brain replied. "Worth the money, that's for sure."

"…Yeah, as for that…I'm really grateful for what you did for me," said the dog. "I was really hungry, and that chicken smelled so good from that restaurant that…I just had to take it."

"I understand," Brian said. "I see you have no collar on, so I don't have to be a rocket scientist to know you're a stray."

"You're right. I'm not a pet…not anymore…"

Brian felt pity for her when he heard that last part.

"A-anyway, I should be going," the dog said. "Thanks again for your help. I'll always remember your kindness."

"Now, hold on," Brian said. "This may be crazy and last minute, but…why don't you come stay with me at my place…for a few days, at least."

"…Really?" The dog asked, stunned. "Y-you mean it?"

"Sure; I mean, I can't just let… a – someone like you live on the streets with no one to help you," Brian explained. "Plus…I really feel that you could use a friend."

The female black and white dog was taken aback by this stranger's generous offer. She figured it wouldn't be permanent, but at least she'd have roof over her head and some food in her stomach for a little while. Not to mention…she was feeling a bit lonely, and this human seemed like a nice enough guy.

"If you really mean it, then yeah, I'd like to stay with you," she finally answered.

"Okay," Brian smiled. "Let's get going. My house isn't too far from here."

Brian then grabbed his bike and then he and his temporary "pet" headed west of the bicycle route, on their way toward his house.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Brian spoke out. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet."

"Yeah, you're right," the girl dog giggled. "How silly of us to forget that."

"I'll go first. My name's Brian Edwards."

"I'm Stacy," replied the black and white dog. "Just…Stacy."

"Well, nice to meet you, Stacy," Brian said, holding out his right hand to her.

Instead of shaking his hand, Stacy jumped and embraced Brian, nuzzling his left cheek.

"It's nice to meet you too, Brian," Stacy said. "And thanks again for saving me."

"…Uh…sure, no problem," Brian said. "…Uh you could let go of me, now."

"Oh, right," Stacy said, blushing. "Sorry."

And then the two new friends continued on their way.

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**End of chapter. I know the first chapter was short and kinda corny, but that's just the beginning. It'll get a lot better in the future chapters to come. In the next chapter, Peanut and Grape make an appearance. Please review.**


	2. A New Dog On The Block

**Hey there. Here's the second chapter. Sorry for it being short – again. These past couple of weeks has been crazy and stressful for me to get any decent time to write. I hope to have some spare time for writing pretty soon. Anyway, in this chapter, our two favorite house pets, Peanut and Grape, make an appearance. Hope you like it.**

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"Grape! Grape!"

Grape Jelly Sandwich, the purple she-cat, groaned in her little cat bed as her annoying yet sweet and friendly dog companion, Peanut Butter, cried out her name, waking her from her precious cat nap – for the billionth time today.

"What is now, Peanut?" Grape asked from underneath her blanket with slight irritation in her tone.

"You gotta see this!" Peanut shouted in his usual animated, happy-go-lucky self. "It's outside! You could see it out the window! C'mon!"

With no other choice, the annoyed purple feline threw off the blanket and followed Peanut to the window. Grape looked outside the front yard and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Grape wasn't surprised about this, though. Peanut had disturbed her beauty sleep countless times with equally stupid (if not, stupider) reasons before.

"Do you see it?" Peanut asked excitedly as his little tail swooshed furiously.

"Uh…what am I suppose to be seeing?" Grape said. "All I see is the front yard, Mom's flower garden, the sidewalk, the street, a fire hydrant, cars driving by, and our neighbors' houses. Should I go on?"

"No! No!" Peanut replied. "Not those things. There!"

He pointed to the left: there Grape saw a human teenager carrying his bike with an unfamiliar black and white dog following him. Grape then realized who the teenager was.

"See?" Peanut said.

"It's Brian," Grape simply stated. "One of our human neighbors across the street – oh, and there's a black and white dog who I have never seen before following him."

"You got it!"

Grape looked at her canine friend with full irritation on her face.

"_You_ woke me up from my nap just to see our neighbor with his dog? Most of our neighbors have dogs. You're friends with most of them, remember?"

"I know, I know," Peanut said. "but this is different."

"How so?" Grape asked, facing Peanut with her hands/paws on her hips.

"Don't you remember? When Brian and his family moved into the neighborhood about a year ago, Mom and Dad brought us with them to go to their house warming party. Remember while Mom and Dad were talking to Mr. and Mrs. Edwards – and while you were sleeping right next to Mom's feet – Brian and his little brother Ian took me to their room and we played video games, board games, and watch movies – and then _you_ wanted to be with us, just because you heard us watching Brain's collection of _Pridelands_."

"Oh, yeah," Grape said. "I almost forgot Brian was into _Pridelands_. I always forget that some humans love it too."

"And don't forget dogs," Peanut said, smiling proudly.

"Peanut, you're the only dog I know who loves _Pridelands_," Grape pointed out.

"Well, I can't be the only dog," Peanut said. "There has to be _hundreds _of dogs who enjoy _Pridelands _just as much as humans and cats."

"Yeah, but they have to hide it from the outside world, otherwise they'll lose whatever dog friends and dignity they have," Peanut stated.

"Hey! I still –"

"_In any case_, could you go back to why you woke me just to see Brian with a dog following him, please?" Grape said, getting more annoyed by this.

"Oh, yeah. I remember Brian said he had seen _Pridelands_ so many times, he knows what everyone says by heart," Peanut said. "I then told him I did too, so we did a little challenge –"

"Yeah, I know," Grape informed. "You guys put the TV on mute and then the two of you repeated everything the characters said perfectly –"

"– And then you joined in by repeating everything the girl characters said," Peanut reminded her. "Right after you said you'd take no part in our 'childish, idiotic game'."

Grape's purple cheeks turned red from hearing that.

"…Well…it did seem indecent for boys to impersonate such awesome and feminine heroines such as the ones from _Pridelands_, that I felt that I should give them the nobility and decency they rightfully deserved."

Peanut snorted. His best friend could be such a terrible liar sometimes.

"_Anyway_, as much fun as it was strolling down memory lane, what does all that have to do with Brian bringing home a dog?" Grape asked.

"Oh, right," Peanut said. "Well, while we were playing _Super Smash Brothers Brawl_, Brian and Ian mentioned that they always wanted a pet of their own. I asked them why doesn't their parents get them one, and they said that they've been asking them for years, but they just won't get them a pet."

"…So…the reason you woke me up from my nap was to show me that after all these years Brian had succeeded in getting a pet?" Grape asked with more irritation in her tone.

"Yep!" Peanut replied proudly.

Grape slapped her face in utter displeasure. It was a mystery why she kept Peanut alive after all these years.

"…In that case, I'm going back to bed," She said flatly as she went back to her cat bed. "Good for Brian and Ian that they now have a pet of their own, but not good enough to wake me up for it."

Just as she got back into the bed and brought the covers over herself, Peanut cried out her name again.

"_What_!" Grape screamed, bringing Peanut right into her face. _"What is it now!"_

"…I-I forgot to tell you that…Furboy 105 had finally updated his fanfic, Pridelands: Of Kings and Alphas," Peanut replied, nervously. "I already read it while you were sleeping, and I was going to wake you to tell you, but that's when I saw Brian with the dog."

Grape dropped the frightened pooch in utter shock.

"A-After six months of waiting…he has finally updated…?" She spoke in monotone.

"…Y-yes," Peanut replied.

Then her mood turned from shock to pure excitement. Wasting no time, the purple she-cat literally jump and ran in the speed of light to the den, where the desktop computer was located. Peanut got up and casually dusted himself off. He knew that would make Grape happy. That fanfic was her absolute favorite.

He then went into the living room to play _Super Mario Galaxy 2_.

_Maybe I'll pay Brian and Ian and this new dog a visit tomorrow, _He thought. _Yay that they finally got a pet – and yay for me too; I'm gonna make a new friend! Maybe I should invite Tarot too?_

_I'd love to come, Peanut, _came the telepathic voice of Tarot, Peanut's mysterious and mystical girlfriend.

_Great!_

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About ten minutes prior to when Peanut and Grape had seen them, Brian and Stacy were a block away from his house.

"Before we get there, Stacy – there's some things I need to warn you about," Brian said.

"Warn me about?" Stacy asked, concerned.

"You see, my parents and my sister aren't exactly…animal lovers."

Stacy stopped in her tracks.

"Then…maybe it's a bad idea for me to stay with you if they're gonna hate me," She said.

"Oh, no, no, no," Brian said. "They aren't animal lovers, but that doesn't mean they'll hate the instant they see you. They just don't like to have the responsibility taking care of a pet, but that's okay, though."

"How?" Stacy asked, starting to have second thoughts of staying with the human.

"_I'll_ be your responsibility," Brian replied. "But before we get into it, let's just see if my folks will agree to letting you stay."

"Do you really think they'll let me?" Stacy said. "If they aren't animal lovers, I don't see how they would. And if they don't, it's okay. You've already done so much for me, Brian. I don't wanna a burden."

Brian smiled at the humble she-dog.

"…Not to sound gross or anything, but you're kinda cute when you're modest," He admitted.

Stacy warmed up a little from hearing that.

"And don't worry too much about it," Brian continued. "My folks already know I've wanted a pet for years. I used to constantly ask them if I could get one, and they'll always answer with 'we'll see'. So, logically speaking, they didn't say yes _or_ no, right? That alone should give us the advantage."

"Yes, it kinda does," Stacy agreed.

"Good," Brain said. "And look, here we are."

The both of them walked up to a two-story house with a well kept front lawn.

"Your house is beautiful," Stacy complimented.

"Thanks," Brian said.

Brian then pulled out a remote control from his pocket and pushed the big red button: the garage door opened up; and Brian brought his bicycle inside, with Stacy slowly following him. Brian then placed the bike at the far corner and then brought the kickstand down.

"All right, let's see how things go from here," He said, after closing the garage door.

"…Yeah…" Stacy said with doubts.

"Okay, wait here for a bit," Brian instructed. "My mom should be making dinner right now, so I'll go see if she and my dad are in a good enough moods to let you stay."

"All right."

Brian then opened the door leading to the kitchen. There, Brian could see his mother was indeed cooking dinner.

Joan Edwards was a well kept woman who liked to have everything neat and tidy; she stood about 5.6, and weighed about 135 lbs; her hair color was burgundy red that came down to her shoulders, and had baby blue eyes (the same color Brian had). She was basically your typical stay-at-home mother, who enjoyed some good, juicy gossip.

While Joan was cutting some celery, her middle child cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned around in response.

"Hey, Mom," Brian greeted.

"Oh, hi, Brian," Joan replied, looking over shoulder. "You've been gone for a while. I was wondering when you'd be home."

"Yeah, sorry about being late," Brian said, trying to figure out what to say about Stacy. "You see, I've got rather…sidetracked…"

"Ah, forget it, honey," Joan waved it off, returning to her celery. "As long as you're home and safe, it's alright. Dinner's almost ready, anyway. Go wash up and call your father and brother over here. Janet called while you were gone. She said she and Travis are eating at McDonald's and then they're off to the mall, so they won't be back till around nine. So it'll just be us for now."

"Actually, about that, I…kinda…met someone while I was bike riding…and I…brought her home…" Brian finally began.

Joan ceased almost immediately of what she was doing and then turned around to face Brian.

"Who?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Brian hadn't invited anyone to dinner for years.

"A girl," Brian replied, not exactly lying.

"A girl?" Joan asked, stunned. "Is she from school?"

"No."

"Do you know her from somewhere?"

"No. We just met."

"Just met? How did you meet her?"

"Let's just say she ran into me. After that we talked a little, and she seems nice – so I invited her over for dinner."

Joan had the excited look on her face she'd get when she had heard the juiciest gossip there was.

"Frank! Come down here!" She called out to her husband.

Soon they heard Frank coming down the stairs and walking into the kitchen.

Frank Edwards was lean, tall man with black spiky hair (Brian couldn't remember a time when his father didn't have his hair spiked), black eyes, and always had a serious look on his face; he had a strong and firm body; height was 5, 11 and weighed about 180 lbs. Brain resembled so much like his father, save for only the eyes.

"What is it, Joan?" Frank asked.

"Your son has brought home a guest," Joan replied, still eyeing Brian.

"Guest?" Frank asked. "What guest?"

"By what Brian has already told me," Joan answered. "it seems he's brought home a girl."

"Really?" Frank said; excitement was clearing displayed on his face. "About time you brought home a girl, son. For a moment I was worried what you were swinging at."

Brian didn't know whether to be annoyed or upset at his old man's remark. His dad had been pestering him into getting a girlfriend since junior high.

"She's not the girl you guys are hoping for," He stated straight out.

"What?" Frank asked.

"Then what is she?" Joan asked.

Brian figured it was best to come clean.

"Stacy, you could come in now," He called.

Just then the garage door opened, and Stacy, the stray black and white she-dog, walked in slowly and cautiously. She avoided eye contact of Frank and Joan as she walked right next to Brian.

"Mom, Dad, this is Stacy," Brian announced. "Stacy, this is Frank and Joan – my parents."

"…Hi," Stacy greeted in monotone, now looking at them.

Brian's parents did nothing but stare at the stray animal with their eyes wide open.

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**Oh boy. What's gonna happen now? Will Brian's parents let Stacy stay? Will Peanut make a new friend? Will my future chapters be any longer than this? Find out in chapter three of ****Stacy: The New Dog on the Block****.**

**P.S. Don't forget to review.**


	3. Stacy's Interview

**Hey there. Sorry for the long wait. I had a very busy schedule with my job, and a little bit of a writer's block. But finally, it's here. Chapter 3! In this one, we'll finally get to see how Brian's parents and brother and sister react to him bringing home Stacy. Hope you like it.**

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"What…is…this?" Frank was the first to respond.

"This is Stacy, Dad – I found her when I was riding my bike, hungry and all alone," Brian said, half-lying; he wasn't going to tell his folks that he spent fifty dollars of his paycheck for a crazy old man's chicken that she stole from. "I've felt sorry for her; so I asked her if she would like to stay with us for a little while; and if she liked it here, she'd be our pet. Now, before you say anything, hear me out: I always wanted a pet, and so does Ian. We asked you guys again and again for one, and you never told me I could get a pet, _but_ you never said I _couldn't _get a pet, either. And furthermore, I think I'm more than capable of taking care of a pet such as Stacy."

"You couldn't call us first?" Joan finally spoke.

"W-What?" Brian asked.

"You couldn't call us from your cell phone to let us know that you're bringing home a dirty, flea-infested animal into my house?" Joan asked, her voice rising in anger.

There was a simple explanation why Brian didn't call his folks: He never thought of it. Brian was mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. Stacy couldn't think of anything to say or do about this situation so she just kept her mouth shut.

Joan was shaking her head and sighing in and out, trying to control her temper. Whenever she was infuriated by something stupid her children or husband did, this was her response to it. It was her trademark in the family.

While Joan was trying to keep calm and debate on what to do, her youngest son, Ian, walked in.

"Hey, guys," Ian said, not noticing that Stacy was in the kitchen. "What's going on in here?"

"Your brother's brought home a dog," Joan answered angrily.

"Really?" Ian asked surprisingly, eyeing his older brother. "Where is it?"

Brian took a step back to reveal the still-silent black and white canine.

"Hey there," Ian greeted the dog.

"…H-Hello," Stacy spoke, waving at him a little.

"I'm Ian. What's your name?"

"…Stacy."

"Oh, you're a girl, then?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Sweet! I always wanted a –"

"Alright enough, Ian," Frank said, rubbing his temples as though he had gotten a terrible headache. "Could you give us a minute with your brother? Your mother and I need discuss what we're gonna do with this dog he brought home."

Ian didn't need to be told twice. Whenever Frank spoke in such a livid tone, everyone knew talking back to him would be suicide. So, needless to say, Ian had got the hint. He gave Brian a quick "good-luck-bro" look before he left and walked back up the stairs. Brian then gazed back at his parents, who were staring hardly at him. He was starting to think it was a big mistake of bringing Stacy home.

"So – let me get this straight," Frank spoke first. "You went for a bike ride, you just so happen to find that dog –"

"Her name's Stacy," Brian said, trying to show whatever courage he had in him.

"Listen to what I'm saying," Frank spoke with his voice rising a little more. "I don't care about the dog's name, right now. As I was saying, you found 'Stacy' wondering the streets; you pitied her, and then you asked – without even thinking of calling to ask your mother and me permission – if she'd like to stay at our house. Is that right, son?"

"…Y-Yes," Brian replied.

"And you thought you could just simply _waltz_ in here and ask us if she could stay for a couple of days, as if our house had just become a shelter for animals? Is that it?"

"No, I didn't –"

"Then what is it, son?" Frank said irritated. "Because that's what it sounds like to me."

Brian shook his head out of frustration. He just couldn't believe how much his folks are overreacting to this. So all he did was brought home a stray dog. Big deal. It was not like he was hiding a wanted fugitive the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service were looking for. All his parents had to say was, "No, Brian, you cannot keep the dog" and leave it at that. It was now really obvious that Frank and Joan were not animal lovers at all. Not by a long shot.

Stacy was feeling very sorry for Brian. She didn't want her human friend to get in trouble just for her. And the way things were going in the Edwards house, she doesn't think she'd enjoy it here, either…

Finally, after mastering all the courage he had in him, Brian spoke.

"Mom, Dad – I found Stacy all alone with no food to eat and no home to go to; I talked to her for a little bit, and then I felt I couldn't just let her stay out in the streets. So I asked her if she'd like to come live with me as a pet; and after a few days if she doesn't like living here (which no doubt is what she feels right about now), she's more than welcome to leave. And as for not calling you guys, I simply didn't think about that. That was an honest mistake and I'm sorry.

"And as much as I hate sounding like a broken record here, Ian and I've wanted a pet for a long time now, especially since we moved to Babylon Gardens. The cats and dogs here are awesome and we'd always envy their owners. We waited patiently for you guys to give us the thumbs-up to go get a pet, but it looked like it'd never happen.

"So today, just by pure chance, I happen to run in to a nice dog who I thought needed to a home, and so…I brought her home."

Frank and Joan looked at eachother; Frank shrugged a "what-should-we-do" to his wife. Joan just shook her head yet again and rubbed her temples.

"Fine," she finally informed. "If you want the dog that bad, Brian – then go ahead; keep her."

"Really?" Brian asked, thrilled.

"Yes," Joan replied. "But there _will_ be certain rules both you and the dog will need to follow. But first, give your dog a bath. I'll have dinner set up for the two of you when you're done."

"Could Stacy take a bath in my shower?" Brian pleaded. "It's getting late to wash her outside."

"I don't care," Joan replied. "Just wash her before she continues to dirty my kitchen."

Stacy resented that remark, but said nothing.

"Alright then," Brian said. "This way, Stacy."

Stacy followed Brian to the hallway and then up the stairs.

"Sorry about what happened down there," Brian said when they were on the second floor. "I knew my parents weren't fond of animals, but I honestly didn't think they'd be this berserk when they saw you."

"It's okay," Stacy said. "I've actually dealt with worse, to be honest with you."

Brian raised an eyebrow. Stacy had put up with worse than his parents' irrational behavior?

"Hey…if you're not comfortable staying here…I won't blame you if you want to leave," He said. "Heck, I'd want to get out of this mad house the second I get the chance to."

"No…if your parents really allow me to stay, then I'll stay," Stacy replied, smiling a little.

"You would?" Brian asked, dumbfounded with her decision.

"Yeah," Stacy replied with a wide grin. "I liked the way you stood up for me. I can't remember a human ever doing that before; it felt so…wonderful."

Brian couldn't help but smile back. Stacy was actually proud of his bravery, and somehow that made him feel a whole lot better.

They heard the bedroom door on their right open and then they saw Ian sticking his face out.

"What did they say?" Ian asked Brian. "Are we gonna keep her?"

"I think so," Brian replied.

"Seriously?" Ian asked, amazed.

Brian shrugged.

"Yeah, Mom said we could keep her," He said. "But we're not in the clear yet. Mom also said that there'll be rules we need to follow."

"What rules?"

"I don't know yet. But right now, I need to give Stacy a bath."

"All right," Ian said before closing the door.

Brian and Stacy then took four more steps till they reached the bathroom door.

"Uh…not to sound ignorant or anything, Stacy, but can you wash yourself…or do you need my help?" Brian asked.

"It's okay, Brian," Stacy said, chuckling. "I've taken baths before – and yes, in showers too."

"Oh, good," Brian said.

He then opened the door, walked right up to the shower, turned on the faucet, and grabbed some fresh towels and put them on the rack.

"All right," Brian told Stacy. "Everything you need's already in there: soap, shampoo, all that good stuff. The showerhead has a flexible hose, so you could use it to wash any part of your body you'd like. The faucet's –"

"Brian," Stacy interrupted. "I know how to take a shower. I used to be a house pet, remember?"

"Oh right, yeah," Brian said, feeling like an idiot. "Well…I guess I'll…leave you alone then."

"Yeah, please," Stacy giggled.

"Call me if you need anything."

"Will do. Thank you."

With a quick nod, Brian walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him as Stacy stepped into the nice warm shower. The water felt so calm and refreshing to the stray's dirty fur. For a moment she felt like she was at peace. It had been _ages_ since she had taken a bath. The thought of it made her think back to when she was just a little pup, back to when everything was fun and carefree.

_Stacy was having her usual bubble bath her owner had just made for her. Most other dogs absolutely hated baths and would do anything to avoid getting one, but not Stacy. She positively loved baths, especially bubble baths. They were her favorite. Sometimes she'd even get dirty on purpose just get a bath._

_Stacy started grabbing the white foam of bubbles and blew them right to her owner's face. Her owner would laugh and blow bubbles right back at her. Then Stacy would start splashing water at her owner. And then here came the splashes from both owner and pup, and then it concluded with the owner grabbing Stacy out of the bathtub, hugging and kissing the happy and laughing pup…_

Stacy had awoken back to reality by a knock on the door. She immediately turned the shower knob off.

"Hey, Stacy," came Brian's voice. "I hate to bother you, but are you almost done?"

"Oh…uh…yeah," Stacy replied; she realized that she had tears in her eyes and then was wiping them off. "Could you give me a few more minutes, please?"

"Sure," Brian replied. "My mom's says dinner's almost ready."

"Okay, thank you, Brian," Stacy said.

Once she heard Brian's footsteps fading away, Stacy turned the shower back on, and went back to washing herself.

"No more crying, no more crying," She kept telling herself as she grabbed a bar of soap and started cleaning her fur. "That was a long time ago. A long time ago. That was then, this is now. I promised myself that I'll not shed a tear. I am _not _gonna cry anymore!"

Fifteen minutes later Stacy was freshly clean for the first time in a long time. She turned off the faucet, shook herself dry (being a dog and all), opened the shower door, stepped out, grabbed a towel from the rack, and got the remaining water out of her fur.

"Ah, now that's what I needed," She said happily.

She opened the bathroom door and saw Brian sitting on the hallway floor on the opposite side. Her human friend got up when he saw her coming out.

"Sorry," Brian said. "My folks wanted me to keep an eye on you. I think they and my brother are already eating."

Stacy smiled and nodded in understanding. After that, the two of them went downstairs and went back into the kitchen.

Frank, Joan, and Ian were indeed in the middle of digging into their food when Brian and Stacy walked in. Brian saw his plate was already set for him. He also saw that there were some newspapers laid flat on the kitchen floor about a foot away from the kitchen table and close to the chair Brian was going to sit in. Two old bowls were on top of the newspaper, one filled with (coincidently) chicken and rice, and the other filled with water.

Brian eyed his parents, whom gave him a firm look for they knew what was on his mind.

"We know you want your new dog to eat in the kitchen, but she's not sitting at the table," Frank informed in a firm manner. "So she's gonna have to sit on the newspaper like a good dog or she's gonna go outside."

Brian opened his mouth, but ended up closing it. He knew there was no point in arguing; his folks felt they were being more "generous" to Stacy than they should, and if Brian were to disagree with them, they'd think he was being ungrateful and they'd throw Stacy out the door.

Without saying a word, Brian and Stacy just sat where they were supposed to and started eating. Everyone was quiet the entire time. Ian would just glance at Stacy and Brian every now and then; Brian was waiting for Frank and Joan to make clear of the rules in order to keep Stacy; and Stacy was trying her best not to think of anything bad and just simply enjoy her food.

Ten minutes into dinner was when Frank and Joan finally finished with their dinner, and now felt they were ready to discuss everything they needed to know about their unexpected guest.

"So," Joan began. "Stacy – tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Oh, okay," Stacy said, thinking of where to begin. "I'm a dog – of course. I…am a mix; my father's a Siberian husky and my mother's a Border collie."

"Now that you mentioned it," Frank spoke out. "I do see the traits of both breeds: You have your father's smooth black and white fur, but you have your mother's floppy ears."

"Yeah, that's right," Stacy said, playing with her ears a little.

"Jeez, Dad, I didn't think you'd know anything about dog breeds," Brian spoke out, amazed.

"I don't, smartass," Frank said. "I just remember seeing those two breeds in _People_ – don't give me that look, Joan. I was only reading _People_ because I was growing bored while waiting at the dentist for my checkup, the other day."

_Well that explains it,_ Brian and Ian thought. When it came to reading magazines, everybody at the table (except Stacy, of course) knew Frank would only pick up the ones with hot girls leaning next to or sitting on some fancy and expensive cars.

"Anyway, I was flipping the pages when I saw the celebrities' pets section; they had their cats and dogs wearing the most girly, flashy, money-wasting set of clothes and make-up I've ever seen. Anyway, there was a Siberian husky and a Border collie showing their ridiculous outfits as they were posing like _they're_ the stars. That's how I knew about your two breeds."

"Oh…okay…" Stacy said, not sure how to say anything about that.

"Anyhow," Joan began again. "Stacy, have you always been a stray? Or did you used to be a house pet?"

"I…I used to be a house pet, ma'am," Stacy replied, awkwardly.

"And how long ago was that?"

"Two….maybe three years ago,"

"And why are you not with your former owner anymore?"

"Mom," Brian cut in, seeing Stacy's sad reaction to that question. "I think that's getting a little personal for Stacy's comfort."

"Oh right," Joan said. "In that case, I'll just ask the serious questions before we decided to let her stay here. Do you go potty outside?"

"Actually, I know how to use the toilet, ma'am," Stacy replied proudly.

"Good," Frank said. "Do you have a bad habit of chewing things that are not chew toys?"

"No, of course not," Stacy said. "I haven't chewed on anything besides tennis balls since I was a pup."

"Very good," Joan said. "Do you like to dig?"

"…Yeah…kinda…" Stacy admitted, but quickly added. "But I never dig where there's grass or flowers. I only dig where there's dirt."

"Well, you're gonna have to get over your desire to dig because I don't want holes in my yard," Frank informed in a strong and firm tone.

"Y-Yes, sir," Stacy said.

"Have you ever been vaccinated?" Joan asked.

"Yes, I have."

"When was that?"

"…When I was a little pup."

"You don't have any diseases that are life threatening or harmful to others, do you?"

"No, I don't think so. I haven't been sick in ages, and I'm sure anyone who's been with me hasn't gotten ill."

"All right; one last question for now: do you bite people?"

"No. Never. I guess I'm one of those dogs who aren't qualified to be guard dogs – but don't think I won't do anything if a burglar comes in. I have a powerful scream loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood."

Brian and Ian chuckled – and surprisingly enough, so did Frank and Joan. Brian then felt some relief flowing in him. Getting his parents to laugh meant Stacy was on their good side.

"Well, I guess that's all the questions we have for right now," Joan said. "And I gotta say, I like what I heard. So, Brian, I guess you can keep her."

Brian, Ian, and Stacy got up with from their seats with excitement.

"Thank you, Mom, Dad," Brian said. "I promise to take care of her."

"And I'll help too!" Ian added.

"And I promise I won't be a burden!" Stacy concluded.

"Alright, now, the rules are simple," Frank said. "Brian, until she decides to leave, you're Stacy's responsibility. That means you need to make sure she's well cared for, fed, and kept out of trouble. Go online and find out what's the proper food for her, how much it'll be for vet visits, and whatever else you could find."

"Gotcha, Dad," Brian said.

"I'm not done yet. There are still some more rules to hear. So all three of you better listen good," Frank informed. "One, Stacy will not be digging in any part of the lawn. You see her do it, hit her. I don't care how you feel about it. You need to show her obedience when you need to."

"Mr. Edwards, I promise won't dig in your yard," Stacy said.

"We'll see about that," Frank said. "I don't mean to be an ass or anything; I just want you all aware of that rule, that's all."

"Frank, I think they have that in check, dear," Joan said.

"All right," Frank said, raising his hands in defeat. "And one other thing, Stacy, if you have the desire to dig, have Brian take you to the park. I remember seeing a spot where they let dogs dig till they're fully satisfied."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Stacy said.

"Now, rule number two," Joan picked up where her husband left off. "Stacy, since you're potty-trained, you can use Brian, Ian, and my daughter, Janet's bathroom. Just use common sense: always flush and wash your hands – or paws – after you're finished."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Edwards," Stacy said. "I never leave the bathroom without doing those two important things."

"That's a good girl," Joan smiled. "Rule number three, you're always to come into my house nice and clean. No loose fur, no tracking in dirt or mud, and most important, no bringing in dead rodents or birds inside the house. No exceptions. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Edwards," Stacy said. "I don't like killing anything, anyway."

"Well, I think that's about it," Joan said. "Got anything else, Frank?"

"Just one more," Frank replied, then turning his attention toward Stacy. "DO NOT chew on anything that isn't meant for chewing. If I find so much as a scratch on any of my stuff, your furry butt is out the door."

"I swear I won't chew on anything," Stacy said, raising her right paw. "Scout's honor."

"All right that's it," Frank said. "We'll see where things go from here."

"Brian, you could have Stacy sleep in your room," Joan informed. "And in the morning, you should introduce her to the Sandwiches' pets. I'm sure she'll get along with them just fine."

"Sandwiches?" Stacy asked. "I never thought sandwiches could have pets."

"No, no," Brian said, chuckling. "My mom means our neighbors from across the street. Their last name is Sandwich, and they're a very nice couple."

"Oh, okay," Stacy understood, slightly chuckling. "For a minute there, I thought edible objects have minds of their own now."

Everybody at the table laughed while Stacy blushed. The poor she-dog can be such a clown without even meaning to.

"Anyway, they have two pets, a dog and a cat named Peanut and Grape," Brian explained, wiping away his tears of laughter. "Peanut is a real cool, fun loving dog; loves to play games, and can read books at the speed of light."

"Wow. He sounds cool."

"Now as for Grape – by the way, do you get along with cats?"

"Yes, I do. I have few cat friends."

"Great. Grape's more of a…level-headed she-cat: she does have her fun side, but she doesn't really show it as much as Peanut does. Anyway, I think you'll like them. They're fun to hang out with, and I'm sure they'll show you around the neighborhood and introduce you to the other house pets."

"But aren't you gonna show me around, Brian?" Stacy asked.

"Yeah, of course," Brian replied. "But I thought you'd want a fellow animal to be with you."

"I do, but not without you," Stacy said. "I've never been in this neighborhood before, and I don't I feel comfortable with anyone whom I haven't even got the chance to talk to."

"I understand," Brian said.

"Alright, this is getting a little odd for my taste," Frank spoke out, getting up from this chair. "I'm gonna go watch my _Pawn Stars_; see what kind of rare and historic things people are trying to sell to Rick, Corey, and the Old Man, and see what stupid shenanigans Chumlee is doing. Wanna come, Ian?"

"Nah," Ian replied. "I think I'm gonna stay with Brian and Stacy."

"Whatever," Frank said, then pointed his forefinger at Stacy. "Be good." Then pointed his finger at Brian, "And you – the next time you bring home a girl, she better be human. Got it?"

"Yes, Dad," Brian said with a slight irritation in his tone.

"Good." Frank said before leaving the kitchen at last.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna get ready for bed now," Joan said. "When Janet gets home, tell her there's still some leftover chicken and rice for her."

"Will do, Mom," Brian said.

"Well, goodnight," Joan said as she left the kitchen.

"Goodnight," Brian, Ian, and Stacy said in unison.

As soon as they heard Joan ascending up the stairs and Frank closing the den's door behind him, Brian and Ian cheered at last.

"Yes, finally, we got ourselves a dog," Ian said. "This is gonna be so cool."

"Tell me about it!" Brian agreed.

Stacy giggled as she scratched the back of her head.

"So, Stacy, can you play fetch?" Ian said. "I got an old tennis ball that my dad doesn't use anymore. You wanna play with that?"

"Well…uh –"

Before Stacy could finish, the front door opened and Brian and Ian's older sister Janet walked in. She then stepped into the kitchen and started spinning around while singing a song as though she was a Disney princess. Brian and Ian rolled their eyes. They had a very good idea of Janet's positive attitude.

"Hello, brothers," She greeted happily.

"Hello, sister," Brian and Ian replied in unison.

"Ah, isn't the world just wonderful?" She asked dreamily.

"Yes," Brian and Ian replied, rolling their eyes.

Stacy was dumbfounded by the whole ordeal. What a strange family, she thought.

"So I take it that you had a fun time with Travis again?" Ian asked.

"Why, yes," Janet said; she stopped spinning. "Someday soon, you guys are gonna have a brother-in-law."

"Not _too_ soon, I hope," Brian said.

"Yeah," Ian agreed. "We don't wanna go to a wedding and a funeral at the same time. Either one of them is bad enough."

"_You're funny_," Janet said, annoyed.

"Just being a little brother, that's all," Ian smirked.

Brian and Stacy chuckled. Janet snorted.

"Yeah, well –"

She stopped when she finally noticed Stacy for the first time.

"Oh," Janet said, puzzled by the canine. "Hello. Didn't know we had company."

"Hi, I'm Stacy," Stacy greeted. "You must be Janet, Brian and Ian's sister."

"….Uh…yeah, that's me," Janet said, awkwardly. "I don't mean to be rude, but what you doing here?" She then looked at Brian and Ian before Stacy could answer, "Has Mom invited someone over? Where is she, anyway?"

"Mom's in her room," Brian explained. "And no she didn't anyone over."

"Then what is a dog doing here?" Janet asked, getting annoyed.

"She's our new pet," Ian replied with a big grin on his face. "Brian brought her home, and Mom and Dad said we could keep her."

"_What!"_ Janet exclaimed. "Tell me you're joking!"

"Nope," Ian replied; his grin got even wider. "We just finished talking about it five minutes before you walked in."

Janet was left speechless.

"You know what, I'm gonna ask her myself," She finally spoke. "If I know Mom and Dad like I think I do, there's _no way_ they'd let a flea-infested mutt live in this house!"

She then stormed up the stairs with each step louder than the last. Brian and Ian shook their heads at how stupid their older sister was reacting to the news.

"God, she just doesn't like animals, does she?" Ian asked Brian.

"Obviously not," Brian replied.

Stacy pushed her bowl of food away. She just lost her appetite.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Brian told Stacy. "Janet's just like my parents; she isn't fond of animals either – but I think she's worse."

"Yeah," Ian added in. "When it comes to animals, our sister puts the 'itch' in –"

Brian gave his brother a hard glare.

"…W-Witch," Ian said quickly. "Janet puts the 'itch' in 'witch'."

Brian rolled his eyes. What Ian just said wasn't going to make Stacy feel any better.

* * *

"You _actually_ let Brian keep that baboon!" Janet argued at her mother. "What on earth made you do that!"

Joan took her eyes off the book she was reading in bed and gave a firm look at her daughter.

"It's simple," She replied. "Brian and Ian have wanted a dog for a long time; I think the both of them are responsible enough to take of one; you father and I explained the rules to them, and they both agreed to follow them. And another thing, Janet dear, Stacy's not a baboon."

"Who the hell's Sta – oh, you referring to that black and white mutt downstairs?" Janet said, rolling her eyes. "I know she isn't, but to me, the cats and dogs here are just as wild and crazy and stupid as baboons. Seriously, it's like this entire town is run by them!"

"That's because this town's mostly for people who are animal lovers, and the animals get to do almost everything people do," Joan replied, irritated. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Janet rolled her eyes.

"Whose idea was it to allow that rule again?" She asked rhetorically - for the millionth time. "And why, oh why did Dad's job have to make us move _here_?"

Joan just rolled her eyes and sighed annoyingly.

"Okay, _how _did Brian find the dog?" Janet asked her mother.

"He said he found her while he was riding his bike out in the bike trial," Joan replied. "From what I could understand, she was begging for food, and Brian pitied her and then asked her if she wanted to be his pet."

"And you let him keep her?"

"I already answered that question, Janet," Joan said.

"But you don't if the dog would follow your rules," Janet complained. "It could be just as stupid as those other baboons."

"Like?"

"Like…like…it could keep me up all night while it sings and cries out – just those stupid cats. Just last week I heard them singing with their stupid instruments again. I had to throw one of my old shoes at them to shut them up."

"Sweetheart, I called the pest control, and they said they took care of it."

"Mom, they sent out a freakin' _dog_ to take care of the problem."

"Well, there you go. The dog must've scared those cats away. Cats don't like dogs, right?"

"Actually, the dog gave the two cats 'a long talk' and they have worked out a compromise. I just got his letter in the mail a few days ago."

"Then what are you complaining about? They haven't bothered again, have they?"

"Mom, that's not the point."

"Then what is?"

Janet had let out a long sigh of irritation.

"…That I should see people walking the streets, not wild animals," She said as she started pacing around the bedroom. "I want all my clients at the salon to be all _humans_, and not their pets. And I don't want a filthy baboon living this house to remind of this godforsaken town!"

Joan took off her reading glasses and gave her daughter a strong, firm look.

"Alright. Go tell your father that you don't want the damn dog here," She informed in a clear anger and sarcasm. "Then after that, call the mayor that you don't want 'baboons' roaming the town anymore, and then call your boss and demand him to take down the policy of grooming animals, and lastly, tell your brothers that you're the queen of the big-headed bitches and that you want their dog gone! And once all that's done, you may go back to ruling Babylon Gardens."

Janet was lost for words. Her mother always knew where to hit her where it hurt the most. "Big-headed bitches" stun her worse than flock of killer bees.

Without saying another word, Janet stormed out the bedroom. Joan sighed and went back to reading her book.

"Where I went wrong with that girl, I'll never know."

Janet walked into Frank's den. There she saw him sitting on his comfy recliner, watching TV with a can of Coke in his right hand. Janet figured she could draw some sense into her father. Whenever she'd lose a fight to her mom, Janet would always go to her dad to back her up. She was Daddy's-Little-Girl, after all.

"Hi, Dad," She greeted.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Frank greeted. "Here, check this out." He pointed to the TV; it was a new episode of _Pawn Stars._ "A guy just brought in a classic slot machine to –"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Janet cut in, not even bothering to look at the screen. "Listen, Dad – I saw the dog Brian had brought home."

"Oh, yeah, your brother has a pet dog now," Frank simply stated, paying more attention to the TV.

"Yeah, that's what I came in here for," Janet explained. "Anyway, why did you and Mom let Brian keep that thing? I thought we all don't like dirty baboons – I mean animals – in the house."

"I don't, but your mother let Brian keep the dog," Frank replied, taking a sip of his soda. "We explained the rules to your brothers about keeping the dog, and if any of them were broken, the dog's out the door. So don't worry about the dog. For now, let's just see what happens. Now keep it down; Rick and the Old Man are cussing at Chumlee's bone-headed mistakes again."

Janet rolled her eyes and left the den angrily.

"This was a perfect day, until Brian brought that stupid dog home," She mumbled. "Well, if that damn baboon ruins any of my things, there's gonna be HELL to pay! That's for _damn_ sure!"

* * *

"Wow!" Stacy said, eyeing the Brian's bedroom.

After they finished dinner, Brian led Stacy into his room. Ian told them that he had call his friends to tell them about his new pet and that he'd be with them once he was finished.

When they walked in, Stacy was a little amazed on what her new friend had: a TV, DVD player, and a Nintendo Wii; a bookcase _cramped_ with books; two rows of DVD cases nearly full of DVDs; a laptop and stacks of old paper were sitting on top of an old computer table with an old office chair; a bunk bed; and various movie posters covered the white-painted walls.

"Yeah, not bad, huh?" Brian asked.

"You could tell it's a boy's room," Stacy giggled.

"Well, I didn't think I had to impress any girls, did I?"

Stacy laughed.

"Seriously, it's a nice room," She said.

"Thanks," Brian said.

Then they went quiet for a moment.

"So…uh…which one do you wanna sleep on?" Brian asked.

"Excuse me?" Stacy asked.

"The bunk bed," Brian said. "Where do you wanna sleep on, top or bottom?"

"Oh yeah," Stacy said. "I was kinda wondering why you have a bunk bed."

"Well, before my family and I moved to Babylon Gardens, me and my brother used to share a room back at our old house," Brian explained. "We used to both sleep on the bunk bed, and once we moved here, I kept the bunk bed while Ian got his own bed."

"Oh," Stacy said.

"Anyhow, which one –"

"I call top bunk!" Stacy said, climbing on top of the bed.

Brian chuckled.

"Okay, top bunk is yours."

Stacy then jumped down from the bed and looked at the other things Brian had.

"Oh my gosh," She gasped, eyeing the bookcase. "You got all the _Pridelands_ books!"

"Yup, all seven of them," Brian replied. "I read them all three times, too."

"Wow…" Stacy whispered to herself, mesmerized. "I've only read the first two books. Oh, I've been counting the days to when I'd finally read book number three!"

"You really like the _Pridelands_?" Brian asked, stunned.

"Yes," Stacy replied, happily. "Even though I'm a dog, I love the _Pridelands_ to death! Oh, my mom used to read them…to me…before I went to sleep…"

Brian saw the sad expression on his friend's face when she mentioned her mother, which she was referring to her former human owner.

"Well…now you could read it whenever you want," He said, trying to cheer her up. "It's a really good book. I'm sure you'll like it."

Stacy knew he was just trying to lift her spirit, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless.

"Oh, and I also happen to have all the _Pridelands _films on DVD too," Brian added. "And some other cool movies."

Stacy looked at his DVD collection: her human friend had numerous movies; some she had never heard of before, and some she grew up watching.

"I can't believe it," She squealed. "You have _All Dogs Go to Heaven_, _Balto_, and _Beauty and the Beast_! Those are my three ultimate, all-time favorite movies!"

Brian couldn't help but chuckle at his new house pet/friend's cute reaction.

"Yep, I do," He said. "If you want, we could watch one of them tonight."

"Really?" Stacy squeaked; tail wagging furiously. "Let me see…_Balto_! I want to see _Balto!_"

"_Balto_ it is," Brian said, grabbing the DVD case.

Once it was all set up, the TV screen brightly displayed the opening scene of the movie; Stacy sat on the floor Indian style about a couple inches apart from the TV, while Brian sat on the bottom of the bunk bed. The black and white husky/collie mix had her full attention on the movie like a five-year-old.

Just then the door was banging of knocks. Brian got up to answer it; he had big hunch of who was responsible for the ramming on his door. Brian opened the door and just as he thought: it was Janet.

His older sister had the foulest look he had seen on her in a long time.

"Brian," Janet spoke in a dark, firm tone. "Your 'pet' made a mess in the shower. There's hair all over the floor. Go and clean it."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Brian sarcastically replied. "I live to please my queen."

Janet rolled her eyes.

"Just clean it already and be quick about it," She demanded. "I need to be clean for work tomorrow morning."

"Fine," Brian said; then turned his attention to Stacy. "I'll be back in a few."

"You want me to help you?" Stacy asked.

"No, it's alright," Brian replied. "I did say I'll take full responsibility for you – and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Okay," Stacy smiled.

Then Brian left the room, closing the door behind him.

_Brian's a real nice guy,_ Stacy thought. _Maybe staying here won't be as bad as I thought. It's just too bad that the rest of his family, beside Ian, isn't as nice and caring as he is…_

_

* * *

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**End of chapter. I hoped you liked it. Boy, it makes you wonder how Stacy's gonna like living with the Edwards, doesn't it? I'm happy to see that this chapter is a little longer than my first two. In the next chapter, Stacy finally meets Peanut, Grape, Tarot, and some of the other Housepets. Please review.**


	4. Change of Plans

**Hey, guys. Here's the latest chapter of "Stacy: The New Dog on the Block". Originally, I was going to introduce nearly the whole gang of **_**Housepets**_** as well as few of my OCs, but I decided to do that in the next chapter. In this chapter, Stacy will warm up to Brian and Ian, and learn (the hard way) a thing or two about Janet. And Stacy finally meets Peanut and Tarot. At least I didn't change that part. Enjoy.

* * *

**

Stacy stirred slowly before opening her eyes. At first she was surprised to find herself wrapped in a warm blanket and lying on a comfortable bed instead trying to keep herself warm in a cardboard box or (as the stereotypical 1940s' cartoons would point out) in a garbage can. It took a few seconds to recall what had happened yesterday. Stacy laid her head back down on her pillow and let out a calm, refreshing sigh. The black and white canine still found it hard to believe that she (literally) ran into a nice, caring young human boy who not only got her out of a tight situation, but also offered her a place to call home.

Stacy let the memories of last night played back in her head.

She remembered she was timid and hesitant at first when Brian warned her that his family wasn't fond of animals, save for his little brother, Ian. And when Brian's parents confronted him irrationally about bringing home a stray animal, Stacy immediately regretted stepping inside the threshold. But then to her surprise Brian had stood up to his parents and tried to reason with them; then finally his folks gave him the okay to let him keep her – with certain rules for the two of them to follow, of course. Stacy was amazed how her new human friend stood up for her. It had felt like ages that _anyone_ had did that for her not once, but twice!

Stacy then shifted to the memories she was happy with.

* * *

Her new owner (since it was now official) had just returned to his room, where she was watching her favorite movie _Balto_, after cleaning the shower floor for his older sister, Janet. Stacy felt a little flustered that it was because of her washed-out fur that made Brian do that, but Brian didn't mind cleaning it since it was part of his responsibility of taking care of her. It was around the middle of the film when Brian walked in. He sat on the edge of his bed and went on watching the rest of the movie.

When the film was finally over, Brian had caught Stacy wiping a tear out of her left eye.

"What's wrong, Stacy?" He asked in concern.

"Huh?" Stacy said, looking at him as she continued to wipe her tears away. "Oh, nothing. It's just that…I always get a little teary at the end of _Balto_. It delivers such a powerful message to me: 'No matter who or what you are, you can accomplish anything if you just believe'."

Brian cocked an eyebrow, dumbfounded.

"I feel the same way, too," He said with slight pride and exciment in his voice.

"Really!" Stacy asked dumbfounded.

"Yeah," Brian replied. "From the moment I first saw _Balto_, I felt that I can do anything if I just set my mind to it. It doesn't matter what blood you carry or – in your case – what pedigree you have, it'll work out if you try."

Stacy was taken aback by her owner/friend's words. She had never heard _anyone_, let alone a human share their same feelings of her favorite movie as her. She couldn't help but smile at him.

After Brian put the DVD back in its case and placed in its shelf, there was a knock on the door and then Ian walked in.

"Hey, guys," He greeted.

"Hi, Ian," Brian and Stacy replied in unison.

"I called my friends and told them about Stacy," Ian informed. "They're glad to hear that we finally got ourselves a pet. They even asked if we're gonna take her to the park to play, tomorrow. Are we gonna do that, Brian?"

"Well, since tomorrow's Saturday and it's my day off from work, I guess it's a good idea to take Stacy out there so she could get to see the neighborhood's pets," He replied, then looked at Stacy. "That is, of course, if you're up to it."

Stacy smiled at him, appreciating him wanting to hear her feelings toward their plans.

"I'd like that very much, Brian."

Brian smiled back.

"Oh," Ian said out loud. "I almost forgot."

He left the room and came back fifteen seconds later with an old, warn out tennis ball in his right hand.

"This is for you, Stacy," He said, handing the ball to the black and white canine. "Maybe tomorrow we could play catch with it."

The delighted house pet happily took the ball and embraced Ian, squealing like a schoolgirl.

"Thank you so much, Ian. And of course I'd love to play catch with you and Brian."

"Uh, don't mention it," Ian said, returning the hug.

After that they decided to play _Super Smash Brothers Brawl_ on the Nintendo Wii. Stacy had never played a video game on the Wii before so she was puzzled and nervous at first, but Brian and Ian said they'd help her get the hang of it. She was glad that they could still use the Nintendo GameCube controllers instead of the Wiimotes to play the game. She was no stranger to the _Super Smash Brothers _series; so that would be easy for her.

"Okay, what should we do?" Ian asked. "Should we battle eachother? Play the Adventure Mode? Or uh…can you think of anything else, guys?"

"I think we should let Stacy decide," Brian stated, looking at his dog.

"Me?" Stacy asked. "You sure you want me to decide?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Brian said. "It's your first day as our pet. We wanna make sure you're comfortable here as possible."

Stacy tried desperately to hide her bashfulness, but her white furry cheeks were making it hard to hide the burning redness.

"Well…how about we battle?" she suggested. "I've never played this _Super Smash Brothers_ game before; so I don't know what other stuff it has besides that."

Brian nodded in understanding.

"Alright, battling eachother it is."

They selected "Classic Mode", chose their fighting character, chose a battle stage, and then they began brawling. Stacy chose Luigi, her absolute favorite character; Brian chose his favorite fighter and Pokémon, Lucario; and Ian chose his favorite, Fox McCloud.

The trio pounded their thumbs on the controllers' buttons continuously as each of their fighters were pounding eachother viciously. Brian's Lucario was desperately trying to keep up with Ian's Fox as he was too keen and fast for Brian's slow fighter. Stacy's Luigi was able to keep up with Ian's character and delivered some good punches to the space vulpine. Suddenly, a Smash Ball appeared and floated lazily up on the screen. Ian had his fighter sprint and jump to the Smash Ball.

"Quick, Stacy, don't let Ian break that Smash Ball!" Brian cried out as he frantically tried to get his Lucario fighter to break it before his brother's fighter does. "If he breaks it, we're both doomed!"

"Why?" Stacy asked, puzzled. "What happens if he breaks it?"

As if to answer her question, Ian's fighter had triumphantly destroyed the Smash Ball before Brian's fighter could. The space fox began glowing yellow aura all over his body.

"You guys better say your prayers now!" Ian said, laughing maniacally.

Fox McCloud had cried out "LANDMASTER!", jumped out screen, and then came back down with a giant high-advanced space tank. Ian made the Landmaster fire its laser cannon constantly hitting and heavily damaging Brian's fighter; before long the poor Fighting/Steel Pokémon was wiped out. Brian was out of the game.

"You're a horrible little person, you know that, Ian?" Brian said with mock venom in his voice, tossing his controller.

Ian answered by maniacally laughing like a villain from the classic Saturday Morning cartoons. Meanwhile, Stacy's favorite green plumber was desperately trying to get away from the monstrous tank while trying to grab whatever he could get his hands on to stop that armored vehicle.

"It's no use, Stacy," Brian said. "Once that psychopath's fighter is in that Landmaster, there's nothing you could do except avoid that thing till it disappears."

"He's right," Ian beamed. "But the question is, Stacy – can you survive long until this baby disappears?"

Luigi was still jumping from Fox's laser attacks until Stacy made up her mind to have her fighter jump on top of the tank.

"Bad idea!" Brian and Ian exclaimed in unison.

The Landmaster then hovered Luigi up to the top of the screen, which he disappeared and then an echo cry of despair was heard when they saw Luigi flying away in the background. The match was over. Fox McCloud was proudly gloating at the "audience" while Lucario and Luigi were begrudgingly clapping in the background.

Ian jumped from his seat, shouting, "WOOO-HOOO!"

Brian shook his head in irritation and frustration. He just couldn't beat his little brother if his life depended on it. Stacy, however, simply clapped.

"Congratulations, Ian," She said happily. "That was very impressive. You're a true _Super Smash Brothers _fighter."

"…Thanks," Ian said, dumbfounded; no one he beaten had ever congratulated him before.

"I watched your techniques and movements your fighter does," Stacy commented. "I gotta say – you're a natural."

"Years of practice, Stacy," Ian said, proudly. "I've been playing the _Super Smash Brothers_ games since the first one for the Nintendo 64 came out. I used to ask Brian constantly if he wanted to play, but he'd always say no."

He looked at Brian who was rolling his eyes.

"Bet you wish you could take back what you said and played with me so you could've gotten better, huh?" He taunted.

"Whatever," Brian simply replied, looking away.

Stacy giggled. She knew they were just messing with eachother. Her fondness of them had grown a lot more now.

Ian and Stacy decided to battle eachother again; Brian was done playing and was lying on his bed watching them go at it with eachother.

"Oh, Brian," Ian said while he was playing. "Did you hear that there's gonna be another _Pridelands_ book coming out soon?"

"Of course I did," Brian replied as if that was an obvious question. "How long have you known me again?"

"There is?" Stacy asked, trying to hide her excitement.

"Yeah! It's supposed to come out in December, two months from now," Brian replied.

"Yay!" Stacy cheered. "More _Pridelands_!"

"_You_ like the _Pridelands_ books?" Ian asked, taking his eyes off the game.

Stacy felt her cheeks burning again.

"…Yeah…I do," She replied embarrassingly as she looked away from Ian. "I love the _Pridelands_ books. I know I'm a dog and all, but I just love the _Pridelands_ to death."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Stacy," Ian reassured her. "You're not the first dog I met who loves _Pridelands_. And besides, I love the _Pridelands_ too."

"You do?" Stacy asked, surprised.

"Sure," Ian replied. "I've been a huge fan of the series for a while now."

"Yeah, thanks to me," Brian added, smirking at his little brother.

Ian acted as though he didn't hear him.

"What do you mean, Brian?" Stacy asked curiously.

"You see, Stacy, a few years back Ian used to hate the _Pridelands_ books and the movies," Brian explained. "He couldn't understand why anyone besides cats would enjoy reading stories about 'cat people' as he called them. He used to laugh at me for even reading the books. He'd mess with me everytime he saw me reading by saying, 'kitty-kitty, meow-meow; kitty-kitty, meow-meow'.

"But I finally got the last laugh: Back when we moved here last year, when we started school, Ian's term required that he'd bring a book to school to read for twenty minutes every school day. At that time, Ian wasn't really into books, so he didn't know what book to bring to school. Mom's books were nothing but those cheesy romance novels she'd buy at the supermarket. Dad's only 'books' were of women showing off cars or some other stuff. Janet…let's just say that she only reads magazines that most boys wouldn't be caught dead reading.

"So Ian had to look at my bookcase and chose to grab book number one of _Pridelands_ because it was the reading level the school required and he doesn't care much for my other fantasy novels. I asked him what he thought of the book when he came home from school, and he just shrugged and said, 'It's alright'. But a few weeks later I caught Ian reading book number two of _Pridelands_ up in the attic. He knew he couldn't keep it from me any longer; so he confessed to me that he loves _Pridelands_ and wants to read them all."

Stacy was on the floor laughing, holding onto her stomach as she tried to breathe. Ian blushed furiously.

"Okay, okay, it wasn't _that _funny," He said, fighting hard to get his blood flowing normally again.

"I-I'm sorry, Ian," Stacy said, sitting up and trying to calm down. "It's just that I knew you'd fall victim to its awesomeness. I knew a couple of stronger dogs have tried, but as soon as they open the book, it's like something magical had grabbed hold onto their souls and had purify them somehow."

Brian and Ian looked at eachother, puzzlement and confusion was on their faces, clear as day. Stacy saw them and now she was blushing.

"Sorry," She said in a low voice, somewhat shameful. "Sometimes I get a little carried away."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Brian said. "Anyway, in two months from now book number eight will finally be out."

"I can't wait," Ian said happily.

"I still need to read books three through seven before I could read that," Stacy informed.

"Well, two months is a long time," Brian stated. "You should be able to read a couple of them before then. I have every copy, you know."

Stacy nodded.

They went back to playing their game while talking about _Pridelands_: they ranted on about their favorite characters, their favorite parts in the books, trivia facts they know about the author, Miss Auburn. They just kept going and going.

"I looked up Miss Auburn the other day and it says that she's a cat lover – no surprise there, of course," Ian explained. "She has one cat, though. A rescue name Res. According to Wikipedia, Res is very shy, quiet cat and is very timid when it comes to strangers – human or animal."

"Wow," Brian said. "That's too bad."

"Yeah, in fact, the only picture they got of Res was when he was typing away on his laptop," Ian said.

"Meaning that his picture was taken without him knowing?" Stacy asked.

"Pretty much," Ian said. "To this day, he's still yet to do an interview about his life with Miss Auburn and all that."

"I always find it kinda sad when somebody doesn't know how express themselves," Stacy said. "It makes me wish I could help them somehow."

"Well, Stacy – some people can do it, some people can't," Brian stated. "Some of them have to stand up and do it themselves."

"I know, Brian," Stacy sighed. "It's just a part of me wants to help those who don't know how to help themselves. I mean, they could find some very good friends if they tried talking to them, but they might never get the chance if they don't speak up for themselves. I know if I didn't speak up to you, I wouldn't have a home or met two of the greatest friends I've ever had."

Brian put his left arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to him. Stacy nuzzled her best friend's cheek.

"You're a good dog, you know that?" Brian asked, kissing her forehead.

"I try," Stacy replied, licking his cheek.

"Hey! Don't I get a hug?" Ian asked in mock pouting.

Stacy went and hugged him and licked his cheek.

"There, much better," Ian said, scratching Stacy behind her ear.

Then they went back to their game again.

"Hey, guys," Ian spoke. "I was wondering – what if Miss Auburn didn't actually write _Pridelands_, but her cat Res did and she's just saying she wrote so it could be published? _Or_ what if Miss Auburn doesn't even exist; she's actually a robot Res made so he could publish all his work? Or…"

"You better get used to this, Stacy," Brian whispered in his dog's ear. "He does this kind of thing _all _the time."

* * *

Stacy quietly laughed at last night's memories. She couldn't believe it. She was actually happy for the first time in a long time. Being with Brian and Ian in only a couple of hours and it was the time of her life!

_With only being with them for a few short hours was fun, I can't wait to spend the whole day with them!_ She thought.

She pulled off her covers and jumped down from the bunk-bed. She shook herself, stretched, yawned, and then turned around. Brian was still sleeping soundly on the lower bunk. She smiled softly and went down to her knees and placed her arms on the edge of his bed with her head on top of them. She simply eyed her human friend fondly.

"He's cute when he's sleeping," She whispered quietly; then was immediately surprised of what came out of her mouth.

Brian stirred in his sleep and then slowly opened his eyes. He nearly jumped out of his bed when he saw his new dog's face up close.

"Stacy?" He said, trying the hide the surprised tone.

"Good morning, Brian," Stacy said, giggling. "I didn't mean to get you excited."

"Right," Brian said, calming down. "I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I actually have a house pet."

Stacy smiled.

"Anyway, good morning to you too," Brian said. "How long have you been up?"

"Oh, for about ten minutes," Stacy answered. "I guess you could say that I too am trying to get used to the fact that I am a house pet again."

Brian chuckled and removed the covers off of him and got out of his bed. He looked at his clock and saw that it was 9:05 AM. Brian then looked out the window and saw that it was a bright, sunny Saturday morning. Perfect for him, Ian, and Stacy to go to the park today. Stacy got up and watched her new owner, happily waiting to hear what their plans for today were. As if to have a start on the agenda, both human and dog's belly rumbled softly.

Both of them chuckled.

"Let's head downstairs," Brian said. "My mom should be making breakfast right about now."

"Good idea," Stacy said, rubbing her stomach. "It's been so long that I had a decent breakfast I've forgotten what it tastes like."

They left the room, went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Ian and Frank were already sitting at the table enjoying their breakfast, while Joan was in front of the stove busy scrambling eggs. Brian had assumed Janet had already eaten and was in the bathroom, getting ready for work. Ian was still in his PJs and Frank was already dressed in his business suit with his suitcase sitting close to his chair.

"Good morning, everyone," Stacy greeted happily.

"Good morning, Stacy," Ian replied.

"Morning," Frank muttered, not taking his eyes off his waffles.

"Good morning," Joan replied, eyeing Brian and Stacy. "I've just started cooking for the two of you. We're having waffles, bacon, eggs, buttered toasts, and hash browns."

Stacy couldn't help but lick her lips from hearing that. It felt like another lifetime since she had ever heard of those meals.

"Please sit down, you two," Joan politely told them. "It's almost done."

Brian sat down at the table and Stacy sat down on the old newspapers close by. When it was finished, Joan handed Brian his plate of food to him, and then handed a bowl of food to Stacy. Then the duo stuffed their faces like there was no tomorrow.

"Hey, hey, you two, take it easy," Joan said, sitting down. "The food's not going anywhere."

Brian and Stacy chuckled at eachother and then once again began eating but in a slower pace.

Frank looked at his watch and quietly cursed to himself.

"I gotta go," He stated, getting up from his seat. "Mr. McHale wants to see the plans for the new houses in thirty minutes."

He grabbed his briefcase, gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek, waved and said goodbye to his sons, gave a quick stern "be-good" look to Stacy, and ran out the front door.

"Where's Mr. Edwards going?" Stacy asked curiously.

"Dad's off to work," Brian replied. "He's an architect. He makes plans for houses and office buildings and such. Anyway, he's been working on a big project for his boss, Mr. McHale, for months now. Now today's the day Dad finally shows it to him."

"And let's hope he likes it, boys," Joan added in. "Your father said if Mr. McHale likes the plans, it'd be a giant step on your father's career. So keep your fingers cross."

Everybody crossed their fingers, including Stacy. She still didn't know what was going on, but she wanted to prove to Frank that she supported him in whatever he was doing. In the middle of their breakfast (Stacy happily rubbed her full belly as she worked on her eggs), the phone rang in the living room. Joan got up and went to go answer it.

"Okay, guys," Brian spoke up from the table. "I was thinking on what we should do today. First –"

"Ian," Joan interjected as she walked back into the kitchen with the phone in her hand. "Your friend, Mitch, is on the phone."

Ian got up and grabbed the phone from his mother and went into the living room. Brian and Stacy waited till Ian returned before discussing their plans for today. Ten minutes later, Ian came back into the kitchen.

"Guys, Mitch is asking me if I could go with him and his family to Theme Park World today," He informed. "His dad managed to get a good deal on tickets and they got an extra one. And plus, Mitch said he doesn't wanna go without me."

"If you want to go, Ian," Joan said. "It's fine with me."

Ian looked at Brian and Stacy, waiting to hear what they thought he should do. Brian and Stacy looked at eachother. Stacy expressed an "it's-okay-by-me" look. Brian then looked at his little brother.

"Good ahead, buddy," He said. "If you wanna go, don't make us stop you."

"Are you good with this, Stacy?" Ian asked.

"Ian, I'm happy that you're thinking of me, but Brian's right," She stated. "We'll have plenty of time to play with eachother in the future. Go. Have a wonderful time with your friend."

Ian smiled at her.

"You are a good dog," He said. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

And then he went back into the living room to give the okay to his friend. After that, they saw him walk back to the table to finish the last bits of his food, and then he headed upstairs to get ready. Stacy looked back at Brian.

"It looks like it's just the two of us," she smiled.

"Yeah, it sure does," He said. "Well, let's finish eating, and then we'll be on our way, girl."

Stacy smiled and giddied as her tail wagged swiftly. She couldn't wait to actually play with her new owner at the park.

Joan was finish with her breakfast. She then grabbed her husband and youngest son's plates from the table and went to the sink to wash them.

"This is perfect for everybody," She spoke out as she washed. "With you guys out of the house, I could get some cleaning done."

Brian looked at Stacy.

"In that case, we defiantly gotta leave," He said after swallowing his toast. "Whenever my mom's cleaning, she can be a bit…off edge. She'd throw a very big fit if we drop a crumb somewhere she already cleaned."

Stacy giggled.

"Well, let's not do anything to ruin her mood," She said.

Brian smiled. Every minute he had spent with his new dog, the more he liked her.

A second later Janet came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table. She was wearing black jeans, a black T-shirt with a nametag saying, **Hi, I'm JANET E. Here for your stylin' needs** pinned on to the left side of it and her long red hair tied in a ponytail. This was her work uniform. The older sibling was smiling and giggling on her cell phone, which was pretty much her lifeline. Like any 19-year-old girl, Janet wouldn't go anywhere without it.

"No, I love you more!" She said continuously on the phone like a schoolgirl. "No, I love you more!"

Brian rolled his eyes all the while Stacy simply watched Janet in puzzlement and confusion. It got her thinking back to last night when Janet walked in and began dancing like she was a fairy princess.

"She's talking to her boyfriend, Travis," Brian answered Stacy's unasked question. "Janet always gets that way when she even _thinks_ about him. They met when Travis came to Janet's salon, asking for a trim. According to Janet, it was love at first sight for those two."

"What's he like?" Stacy asked curiously.

"I only met him briefly a couple times," Brian replied. "He seems cool. He goes to the same college my sister does, so they always carpool with eachother. Apparently, he's a great guy to her, due to the fact he has a dog."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, normally, Janet wouldn't dare go out any guy who has pets, but obviously, Travis must be really special to her to make an exception."

As Janet continued to "express" her feelings over her phone, Joan finished cleaning her last dish when the phone rang again. She went to go answer it and then brought it upstairs with her. Brian and Stacy remained in the kitchen, listening to Janet discussing their plans for their next date as they try to finish their meal.

"Yeah, that's right, sweetie," They heard her say on the phone. "I'm off from work tomorrow, and I was wondering if we should go out somewhere?" A brief pause. "I don't know. What do you think?" Another brief pause. "The park? Oh, that sounds romant – oh, and bring Sammy with us?" Her happy tone of voice turned into disappointment at that last sentence. "…Well, you see, Travis sweetie, I was hoping it'd be just only the two of us." Another brief pause. "Well, doesn't Sammy have any friends to hang out with?" Another brief pause. "Oh, I see." She rolled her eyes. "…Alright, I guess he could come with us." Another brief pause. "No problem. Love you, Travis. Bye."

She hanged up, and then let out a long, over-exaggerated sigh of irritation.

"I cannot believe that he wants to bring that stupid dog of his with us," Janet spoke out loud, getting up from her seat.

"Relationship problems, big sis?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"Shit! Travis wants to bring his mutt, Sammy, with us on our date, tomorrow," She stated, annoyingly. "He says that he and his dog haven't been spending much 'quality time' together lately, and he feels that we could all walk around the park, play fetch, eat ice cream, and some other idiotic crap with the dog."

"Maybe Travis does feel that he needs to spend as much time with his dog as he is with you," Brian pointed out.

Janet just simply rolled her eyes.

"I swear if Travis wasn't so cute and tender, I wouldn't have bothered falling for a dog lover," She said to herself.

"Maybe you should give him a chance," Stacy spoke out. "Who knows? You might like this Sammy. After all, it sounds like he's part of Travis' life as much as Travis is a part of yours."

Janet looked around the kitchen to find the source of the voice, and then it fell right on Stacy.

"Oh, it's you," She said with arrogance and disgust in her voice. "Listen here, you mutt. I don't know how you got Mom and Dad to let you stay here, but don't think you're part of this family. What I do with my love life is my business. So I'd appreciate if you don't stick your filthy nose in it. And another thing, since we're here, let go over a few of _my_ rules: You will not come near me within ten feet! You will not come near any of my stuff! You will not talk to me for any reason! You will not go into my room for any reason! You will not –"

"All right, enough, Janet!" Brian yelled angrily. "Don't talk to her like that!"

Janet simply lifted her right hand in front of Brian's face without taking her eyes off Stacy.

"You will not talk about my boyfriend, Travis! And most important, you will not interfere with my life! Got it!"

Stacy felt hot tears swelling in her eyes. She wanted to answer by biting the angry girl's nose off, but she gave a nod instead.

"Good!" Janet said. "Now, if you don't mind, I gotta get to work. God, it was bad enough that I have to see you filthy baboons outside and at work. The last place I wanted to see them was in this house."

Janet walked to the living room and grabbed her purse from off the counter.

"J.J. would've never talk to Stacy like that," Brian yelled out to Janet; whatever little respect he had for his sister was gone now. "She would've treated her with respect. Whatever happened to J.J. anyway? There hasn't been a day that I don't miss her."

Janet stopped as she was about to reach the front door. She sighed and turned around to face Brian in the kitchen.

"J.J.'s gone, little brother," Janet stated simply. "She did what everybody else did: she grew up. And as your older sister I highly suggest you do the same if you want to survive this cold, heartless world of ours."

And then she turned around and walked out the door.

Brian stared at the front for a minute. Those last few sentences Janet had told him replayed in his head over and over again.

_What the _hell_ did she mean by that_? He thought.

He then turned his attention to Stacy who was slightly sobbing.

"…I'm really sorry about that," He said, trying desperately to find the right words comfort her. "She had no right to talk to you like that."

"I-I don't understand," Stacy said a low voice, wiping her tears. "I didn't do anything to her, and she acted as though I did."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Stacy," Brian said. "Janet's just…a real bitch – excuse the term – when it comes to animals."

He gave Stacy his napkin so she could dry her tears.

"She didn't used to be this way, though," He spoke out. "She used to love animals as much as Ian and I do. But once she entered the sixth grade in junior high school, Janet just…became a different person. Sometimes, I don't know who she is anymore…"

Sympathy flashed in Stacy's eyes.

"…Brian…who's J.J.?" Stacy asked curiously, getting all her tears off.

"J.J. was actually a nickname I used to call Janet back in the day," Brian replied. "Her full name is Janet Joyce Edwards – that's where J.J. came from, her first and middle initials. It started when my folks used to call her J.J when we were kids. Soon I picked up the habit of calling her J.J. We used to get along and play together all the time. Those were only memories I have of her being good to everybody – human _and_ animal. Anyway, forget about her. Today's the day I show everybody I finally have a pet of my own, and you and I are gonna have lots of fun."

Stacy smiled at her owner. Her sadness was disappearing entirely.

"I know we are," She said proudly.

"That's my girl," He smiled, getting up from his chair. "But before we go, let me go and get dress."

* * *

Peanut and Tarot walked across the street from Peanut's house to the Edwards house. Peanut was very eager to meet Brian's new pet dog. He always liked introducing himself to new faces and was eager to be their friend. Tarot was with Peanut simply because he invited her. Thanks to her psychic powers, she already knew everything about the new dog and her five owners (or more like _two_ owners).

"I hope she likes books and games," Peanut beamed.

"She does," Tarot stated as if asked about the weather. "She likes fantasy, romance, sci-fi, _Super Mario_ – oh, and she loves the _Pridelands_."

Peanut smile grew wider, displaying his whole set of teeth.

"Yes!" Peanut cheered. "I knew I'd meet another dog who loves _Pridelands_! Brian has found the right dog if you ask me!"

"Yes, but his sister is quite upset that there's a dog living in the residence," Tarot mentioned. "Speaking of which, there she is now."

The canine couple saw Janet leaving the house with her shades on and walking to the driveway. She pulled out her car keys for her 2007 black BMW 335i out of her purse when she saw Peanut and Tarot walking onto the curb.

_Oh great,_ She thought irritably. _It's him again. And it looks like he brought a friend with him this time. What the hell does he want now?_

"Good morning, Janet!" Peanut greeted happily, waving at her.

Janet made a quick, so-called "wave" before opening her car door and getting in. Tarot showed an angry look at Janet for making such a rude thought and response to her boyfriend. However, Peanut didn't see it. The canine couple walked to her car as the engine roared to life. Peanut lightly tapped on the window to get Janet's attention. Janet looked at the two animated dogs and then reluctantly rolled down the window.

"Grape and I saw Brian bringing a dog to your home, yesterday," Peanut said. "And my girlfriend Tarot and I came over to meet her."

"Yeah, Brian brought home a dog," Janet quickly responded, avoiding their gazes. "She and Brian are in the house if you want to meet her. Now, if you both don't mind, I'm late for work."

Tarot snorted. The grouchy human had plenty of time to get to work. She just didn't want anything to do with them for a personal reason – one that Janet never told anyone until Tarot read her mind. Also, Tarot knew about the "talk" Janet gave to Stacy.

"You had no right to talk to Stacy like that, Janet Edwards," Tarot spoke out.

Janet stared at the mystical Pomeranian with her mouth slightly open in utter shock. Peanut stared at Tarot too.

"All Stacy did was try to help you see things through your boyfriend's eyes. She was also trying to be your friend, but you let your past get in the way like you always do when you see an animal, and you yell at her for it," Tarot continued. "Hiding your fear with irrational anger will solve nothing. It'll only lead to pain and despair not only to others, but to yourself."

Janet felt her anger growing when she heard that.

"Who the hell do you think you are, dog!" She yelled, showing her true colors to the canine couple. "And how the hell do you – you know what, forget it! Both of you get away from my car before you're road kill!"

Peanut and Tarot took a few steps back. Janet then pulled out of the driveway and then sped off. Peanut growled.

"What's got her all chained up?" He asked angrily.

"Don't let her get to you, Peanut," Tarot said. "She's been through a traumatic experience when she was young. But worry not, love. In a few months Janet will learn her lesson by some excellent teachers."

"You know when exactly she'll learn her lesson, don't you?" Peanut asked.

Tarot nodded.

"And you're not gonna tell me?"

Tarot shook her head.

"I'm sorry, dear," She said. "I'm not at liberty to say. You'll just have to be patient. In the meantime, let us go say greet our new friend. She needs some cheering up right now."

* * *

Stacy waited patiently in the living room for Brian to change into his outdoor clothes. She occupied her time by chewing on her new tennis ball. She was feeling very anxious to go to the park to play with her best friend. Soon the door bell rang. Stacy spitted out her ball.

"I'll get it!" She cried out.

She walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hello," She greeted the two dogs that were at the front door.

"Hi," said a male brown dog wearing a red collar with a bone-shaped dog tag. "I'm Peanut! And this is my girlfriend, Tarot."

A shorter female dog wearing a green collar with an eye of Ra-shaped dog tag waved at Stacy in greetings.

"I live across the street, and I saw you walking with Brian yesterday, which means he finally has a house pet of own," Peanut explained. "So today I felt that I should come over and say, Welcome to the neighborhood!"

"Well, thank you, Peanut," Stacy beamed. "I appreciate the welcome. I'm Stacy, by the way."

Stacy held out her paw for Peanut, but instead of taking it, Peanut hugged her. Stacy was surprised at first, but soon returned the embrace.

"Sorry, I like to hug," Peanut said after they released. "Besides, Tarot said you needed it."

Stacy cocked a brow in confusion.

"It's true," Tarot spoke out for the first time. "I know hugs always make you feel better, especially after what Janet Edwards said to you."

Stacy was dumbfounded. How could these complete strangers know that she liked hugs, let alone know about her situation with Janet? Peanut recognized that bewilderment look on Stacy's face immediately.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that Tarot's a psychic medium," He explained.

Stacy raised both of her brows in utter shock and amazement.

"Don't worry. I'm a peacekeeper," Tarot reassured her. "I never use my powers for evil purposes."

"Well…that's good news," Stacy said, scratching the back of her neck.

"Oh, and by the way, Stacy," Tarot said, putter her paw on the black and white canine's shoulder. "Rebecca is very happy that you finally found a home. She was ashamed of herself for passing on like that, and that you had to make it on your own at such a young age. But she was always proud that you always try to make the right choices, aside from stealing that cooked chicken, and the…well you know the rest. Anyway, she wants me to tell you that she loves you very much, and that she'll always be watching you."

Stacy felt another set of hot tears rolling down her furry cheek. She gave Tarot a tight embrace and wept.

"Thank you for telling me that, Tarot," She said, sobbing. "You don't know how much that means to me. I miss my mom so much!"

"Actually, I do, Stacy," Tarot said after they let go. "But I'm glad to have helped. And you picked the right home here: Brian and Ian will take good care of you. They are good humans. As for Frank and Joan, give them time. Eventually they'll warm up to you."

"What about Janet?" Stacy asked wiping her eyes. "Will she ever like me?"

"Ah, the spirits have something planned for her," Tarot replied with a wink. "Let's just say in a few months, the old saying, 'What goes around comes around' will bite her in the butt hard."

Stacy chuckled. She'd be counting the days for that.

"Hey, Stacy," Brian called out, walking towards the front door now fully dressed. "Who's at the door?"

"Brian!" Peanut cried out.

"Peanut!" Brian said.

The human and dog embraced eachother, rubbing eachother's back.

"How you been, buddy?" Brian asked, petting Peanut's head.

"Great!" Peanut beamed. "Just wanted to say hi to your new pet."

"How'd you know I got a new pet?" Brian asked.

"I saw Stacy following you home yesterday, silly," Peanut replied. "I showed Grape, and she's happy that you finally got a pet of your own."

Brian chuckled.

"Speaking of which, where is that sleepy cat?" He asked.

"She's with her boyfriend, Maxwell," Peanut replied. "They're off somewhere probably smooching and then arguing about something as usual."

Brian laughed

"Well, thanks a lot for coming, bud," He said, then looked at Tarot's direction. "Oh, and who might this be?"

"My name is Tarot," The Pomeranian introduced herself. "Part-time psychic medium and Peanut's girlfriend."

"Psychic, huh?" Brian said with a hint of doubt in his tone. "Well, no offence, but I really don't believe in –"

"When you were five years old, you had an imaginary pet," Tarot cut in. "A Dalmatian you named Spotty and you'd play with him in your back yard all the time, and you tried to get your parents to play hide and seek with 'the two of you'. In the fifth grade, on Valentine's Day, a former classmate named Jessica Hotthorn had a big crush on you, and confessed it to you at lunchtime by singing her cover of Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' in front of the whole cafeteria, at which you were so surprised and embarrassed that you squirted milk out of your nose. And when you were at the mall a few months ago you bent down to –"

"Okay, okay, I believe you, I believe you!" Brian exclaimed; his face flushed crimson. "Psychics are real! Jeez!"

Tarot giggled.

"Forgive me, Brian, but the only way to get non-believers to believe is to reveal their most tight-lipped secrets," She said.

"…Well, could you have done it _without_ the non-believer's friends around?" He asked sorely, pointing at Brian and Stacy.

The two animated canines were on the floor, laughing their tails off. Brian felt himself glowing red as a tomato at the scene.

"It's good to see you guys are getting a good laugh at this," He said sarcastically.

Stacy and Peanut got back up, trying to catch their breaths and wiping away their tears of laughter.

"We're sorry, Brian," Stacy said, still chuckling. "We know…we shouldn't…but…"

"Always remember," Peanut said; his laughing hadn't ceased. "That no matter what you think of us, we will always love you!"

The two dogs went back to their laughter, with Tarot joining them. Brian meanwhile was sweating bullets all the while images of him strangling Tarot for exposing three of his embarrassing moments floated in his mind.

"Alright," Tarot said, regaining herself. "Brian, please remember I could read your thoughts, and I'm reading them right now. But for revealing your secrets in front of Stacy and Peanut, I'll let this one side. However, in the future you will be so kind to not display such graphic images such as the ones you were thinking in my presence again, for there'll be consequences if you do. Very _big_ consequences."

Stacy and Peanut regain themselves when hearing that.

"I'd listen to her, Brian," Peanut warned. "She means it."

"Okay, I'm sorry for that, Tarot," Brian sighed.

"I apologize as well, Brain," Tarot smiled.

"Ditto," Peanut said to Brian.

"Me too," Stacy said, hugging her human friend and gave him a quick lick on the cheek.

Brian chuckled.

"Alright, let bygones be bygones already," He said in his cheerful tone. "I'm sure you guys know what Stacy and I are doing today; and since you guys are here, you wanna join us?"

"You bet!" Peanut beamed.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Brian," Tarot said sadly.

"What do you mean, Tarot?" Peanut asked. "Don't you want to join them?"

"Of course I do, sweetheart, but in a matter of seconds, a phone call will make Brian not join us," Tarot explained.

Before anybody could ask, they heard the phone ringing in the living room. Brian reluctantly walked back into the living room and grabbed the phone from its receiver and answered it.

"Hello?" He asked.

"What's up, buddy?" came a familiar voice on the other line. "It's me, Rob."

"Oh, hey, what's up, boss?" Brian asked.

"Listen, Brian, I'd really like you to come in today," Rob explained. "Wesley called in and said he got a broken leg from playing soccer, so he can't make it in, obviously. Anyway, I was hoping there's a slight chance you'd take his place."

"Oh, I really don't know, Rob," Brian said, eyeing his three canine pals who were still at the front door. "I was looking forward to hanging out with my friends at the park today."

"I'd really appreciate it if you come in, buddy," Rob said. "I'm sorry for bothering you on your day off, but we're really getting busy here at the moment. I called the others, but they're either busy or out somewhere. You're the only one left."

"But…how about Roland?" Brian asked, hoping that be good enough for him to not come in today. "He's always there, never misses a day, and he knows the whole store like the back of his…paw."

"You know I personally wouldn't have a problem with Roland filling in for Wesley," Rob explained. "We both know he's more than capable for it, Brian. But the customers are still not used to his…'presence' yet."

"Well, they need to get to know him already," Brian said. "Roland's a real swell guy. Everyone needs to know that"

"You're absolutely right, Brian, but not today," Rob said. "Please, Brian, can you come in? You're our only hope."

Brian looked back at his three waiting friends yet again, who in turn looked back at him. He sighed.

"Can you give me a minute, please?" Brian asked his boss.

"Of course," Rob replied.

Brian set the phone down on the coffee table and walked back to Stacy, Peanut, and Grape. He stared at his new pet with down eyes.

"Stacy, my boss wants me to come in to work today," Brian reluctantly explained. "One of my coworkers broke his leg and can't make it. So…my boss's asking me if I could take over his shift for today. He told me the place is jumping right now, _but_…I think you should choose. If you want me to take you to the park, I'll tell Rob that I'm not coming in today. Or if you're really okay with me going in work today, I'll do it – and Peanut and Tarot could take you to the park instead. Whether I'm going to work or the park depends entirely on you, Stacy."

"You want me to decide, Brian?" Stacy asked.

"Of course," Brian replied. "We planned on having fun today. And it wouldn't be fair that I just go to work and leave you here at home. So I feel that you should decide this. Whatever you wanna do is okay with me."

Stacy smiled at him with admiration. From the moment they had met, Brian had always put her first before everything else. Her love and respect for him as her owner had skyrocketed.

"I think you should go and help the people at your job today," She decided.

"Are you sure?" Brian asked.

"I'm positive, Brian," Stacy replied. "We'll have plenty of days of us going to the park. Right now, I think you should go to work and help your boss and coworkers."

Then she embraced him. Brian was confused for her action.

"Thank you for always thinking of me, Brian," Stacy said, nuzzling his chest.

"…Hey, don't mention it," Brian replied, returning the embrace. "It's my job as your owner to make sure you're happy."

Stacy's smile grew wider and then she licked his cheek. Peanut and Tarot smiled at the two of them.

"All right, I need to tell my boss the answer. And I'm gonna make this up to you later today, I promise," Brian said, letting go of Stacy, then he looked at Peanut and Tarot. "This might be a dumb question, but you guys don't mind taking care of Stacy while I'm gone, right?"

Peanut snorted.

"Like we're gonna say we do mind?"

Brian smiled and shook his head. He knew he could rely on his canine pal.

"Worry not about Stacy, Brian," Tarot said. "We'll take good care of her in your absence. Besides, Stacy knows how to handle herself."

"Right," Brian said. "Okay, you guys have fun."

"Bye, Brian, have a good day at work," Stacy said before she and Peanut and Tarot left the house.

Brian then walked back into the living room and grabbed the phone.

"Hello, Rob?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"Alright, I'll come in today."

"Splendid! Be here as soon as you can. I'll have Jethro explain everything to you when you come in."

"Got it."

"Thanks, Brian. You're a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it."

Brian then hanged up the phone and put it back on the receiver. He let out a sigh of annoyance as he walked up the stairs to change into his work uniform. He was actually looking forward to hanging out with Stacy, Peanut and Tarot today, but of course something had to come up and ruin it. When he reached the second floor, he saw Ian walking toward the stairs, now dressed and ready to go meet his friend.

"Hey, bro, what's going on?" Ian asked.

"My boss called and ask me to come to work today," Brian replied, scratching the back of his head.

"But what about Stacy?" Ian asked. "Aren't you and she supposed to be heading to the park?"

"I asked her if she wanted me to take her, but she said it was okay for me to go to work."

"So she's staying home with Mom?"

"No. Actually, she's going with Peanut and his girlfriend, Tarot."

"Oh, well that's good. At least she doesn't have to be cooped up at home while we're gone."

"Definitely."

"Ain't it weird that we both plan on going to the park with Stacy, and yet something unexpected happens with the both of us where we can't go with her?"

"Tell me about it."

* * *

**End of chapter. I hope you liked it. In the next chapter, Stacy will definitely meet nearly the whole cast of **_**Housepets**_**; we'll see Brian at his job; his canine friend and coworker, Roland; and an unwanted customer arrives at his store. Please R&R.**


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